Ground Zero

I was recently in New York City for a speaking engagement. I stopped by Ground Zero.

I had been to New York City many times in the past. It’s always a moving and stirring experience to visit the World Trade Center site.

There, on September 11, 2001, occurred the greatest one day tragedy in the history of the United States with the downing of the two World Trade Center buildings. Recently we saw the 10 year anniversary of that horrible tragedy in America.

I visited the site not long after 9-11. I visited again two or three years later. For a long time there was a huge, cavernous hole in the ground, where the buildings had been taken down all the way to the foundations.

And I wondered, how is something so horrible going to be turned into something that could be a meaningful memorial to those who perished, for their loved ones, and for the rest of the country?

Well, New York City has done it. At the 10th anniversary of 9-11, there was a great dedication to an amazing memorial.

The footprints of the two buildings, in the exact size of the World Trade Center towers, have been turned into two of the largest man-made waterfalls in the country. The names of those who perished are engraved around those waterfalls.

A park surrounds the waterfalls and there is a museum, which will be opened in the future.

A brand new building, called 1 World Trade Center, is going up and it will be the tallest building in America. It will rise 1,776 feet to the tip of its rooftop antenna, significant because of the history of the United States.

So, the message from the 9-11 site, to me, is this: How do you turn a very difficult, excruciating moment, into something more meaningful? How do you turn a huge hole in the ground into a meaningful memorial?

You do it one step at a time. There’s no way, over 10 years, to make all of that happen instantly. However, years of work, and years of planning, are turning the 9-11 scene into something very special.

What if you and I, in a very difficult moment in our lives, were to focus on the one step that we could take today? What is another step we could take tomorrow? Given enough time, chances are that we’ll be able to move through the moment.

I hope to see you this week on Lifetime Television on The Balancing Act, 7-8 a.m. Easter and Pacific time.

You are special. You are unique. You are destined for greatness. You are a Champion!

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A Challenge Affirmation
I conquer my challenges one step at a time
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